This invention relates to photobooths and other similar vending machines and the methods used to simulate the creation of an artist""s drawing or painting of a caricature of an image taken of and/or provided by the user at the machine.
Vending machines and more specifically self-photography booths are well known in the art. Self-photography booths capable of producing a composite image from a live image superimposed on a background stored in a computer at the booth are also known in the art. However, none of the self-photography booths thus far offers a caricature as the final image or a visual simulation of the gradual process by which an artist would paint or draw such a caricature. Enabling a photobooth to simulate an artist""s gradual creation of a caricature adds commercial value to the photobooth and provides the user with a unique form of entertainment in addition to a hardcopy of the final image.
Therefore the object of the invention is to provide a method of creating a caricature of an image taken of or provided by the user at a photobooth.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of simulating the creation of an artist""s drawing or painting of a caricature.
It is a further object of the invention is to provide a device which creates a caricature of an image taken of or provided by the user at a photobooth.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a device which simulates the creation of an artist""s drawing or painting of a caricature.
The preferred method of the invention of creating a caricature of an image taken of or provided by a user at a photobooth, comprises the steps of: providing an image fixing device; fixing the image at the photobooth with the image fixing device; assigning a first set of control points at predetermined locations on the fixed image; establishing a distance between the control points; altering the distance between at least two of the control points; defining a second set of control points which incorporates the altered distances; and rendering the caricature in a visible format using the second set of control points.
The method of the invention of creating a caricature of an image taken of or provided by a user at a photobooth, may further comprise the steps of creating a retrievable copy of the rendered caricature and delivering the copy to the user.
The rendering step preferably comprises the steps of: providing a computer monitor; translating the fixed image, in response to the second set of control points, into computer instructions capable of creating a mock artist""s drawing or painting of the caricature on the computer monitor; generating and displaying on the monitor an icon which simulates drawing or painting the mock artist""s drawing or painting of the caricature; and using the instructions to move the icon about the monitor, wherein the mock artist""s drawing or painting of the caricature is created gradually as the icon moves, to simulate the process by which the mock artist may draw or paint the caricature. The translating step may include determining a display parameter value of pixels of the fixed image; substituting the stored display textures for portions of the fixed image; and/or dividing the determined display parameter values into groups. The groups preferably represent contiguous portions of a digital grey scale spectrum. The method may further include creating a plurality of visible textures; and/or electronically storing a plurality of display textures for use in creating the caricature. The step of electronically storing may also include scanning the created textures into a computer memory. The using step preferably includes displaying on the monitor the substituted display textures in the areas of the display corresponding to the substituted portions of the fixed image.
The displaying step preferably includes gradually creating on the monitor the substituted display textures while moving the icon across the monitor in a predetermined movement pattern. The predetermined movement pattern may be accomplished in one area of the display corresponding to the substituted portions of the fixed image at a time. The step of gradually creating on the monitor the substituted display textures may include creating the display textures along the path on which the icon traverses the monitor, as the icon traverses the monitor.
In the preferred method of the invention of creating a caricature of an image taken of or provided by a user at a photobooth, the step of generating and displaying an icon includes providing and displaying a plurality of drawing icons, and providing a means for a user to select one the drawing icon. Further the instructions capable of creating the caricature preferably include division of the fixed image into a plurality of separate image areas, each the image area corresponding generally to contiguous image areas of approximately the same display parameter value. The instructions to move the icon across the monitor may also include moving the icon across the monitor in a predetermined movement pattern which is preferably accomplished in the plurality of separate image areas, in one image area at a time.
The altering step of the preferred method, of creating a caricature of an image taken of or provided by a user at a photobooth, preferably includes the step of generating an inverse transform.
In another preferred method, of creating a caricature of an image taken of or provided by a user at a photobooth, the rendering step comprises the steps of, electronically storing a plurality of display textures for use in creating the caricature; translating the fixed image into instructions capable of creating the caricature, including determining a display parameter value for the pixels of the fixed image, and dividing the determined values into groups, in which the groups represent contiguous portions of a display parameter scale spectrum; and in which the translating step further includes substituting the stored display textures for portions of the fixed image; generating and displaying on the monitor an icon which simulates drawing or painting the caricature; and using the instructions to move the icon across the monitor, wherein the caricature is created gradually as the icon moves across the monitor, to simulate the process by which an artist may create the caricature.
In yet another preferred method of the invention, of creating a caricature of an image taken of or provided by a user at a photobooth, the rendering step comprises the steps of, electronically storing a plurality of display textures for use in creating the caricature; translating the fixed image into instructions capable of creating the caricature, including determining the grey scale value of pixels of the fixed image, dividing the determined grey scale values into groups, and in which the translating step includes substituting said stored display textures for portions of the fixed image; generating and displaying on the monitor an icon which simulates drawing or painting the caricature; and using the instructions to move the icon across the monitor, wherein the caricature is created gradually as the icon moves across the monitor, to simulate the process by which an artist may create the caricature, including displaying on the monitor the substituted display textures in the areas of the display corresponding to the substituted portions of the fixed image, and in which displaying on said monitor the substituted display textures includes gradually creating on the monitor the substituted display textures, and in which gradually creating the substituted display textures includes moving the icon across the monitor in a predetermined movement pattern, in which the predetermined movement pattern is accomplished in one area of the display corresponding to the substituted portions of the fixed image at a time, and further in which gradually creating on the monitor the substituted display textures includes creating said display textures along the path on which the icon traverses the monitor, as the icon traverses the monitor.
In yet another preferred method of the invention, of creating a caricature of an image taken of or provided by a user at a photobooth, the rendering step comprises the steps of, translating the fixed image into instructions capable of creating the caricature; using the instructions to gradually create the caricature on the monitor, in separate discrete portions of the monitor one at a time, to simulate the process by which an artist may create the caricature.
The preferred embodiment of the photography booth of the invention, for creating a printed output of a caricature, comprises: a printer; a computer with memory; means for storing a plurality of drawing textures; means fixing an image at the photobooth; means for assigning a first set of control points at predetermined locations on the fixed image; means for establishing a distance between the control points; means for altering the distance between at least two of the control points; means for defining a second set of control points which incorporates the altered distances; and means for printing the caricature using said second set of control points.
Another preferred embodiment of the photography booth of the invention, for creating an output of a mock artist""s drawing or painting of a caricature, comprises: a computer with memory; means for storing a plurality of drawing textures; means fixing an image at the photobooth; means for assigning a first set of control points at predetermined locations on the fixed image; means for establishing a distance between the control points; means for altering the distance between at least two of the control points; means for defining a second set of control points which incorporates the altered distances; means for substituting one or more of the stored textures for different areas of the fixed image, in response to the second set of control points, to create an electronic mock artist""s drawing or painting of the caricature; and means for creating a stored version of the mock artist""s drawing or painting of said caricature, using the second set of control points, on a portable machine-readable memory device and delivering the stored version to the user as a record of the caricature.
The preferred embodiments of the photobooth of the invention may further include a monitor and a means for displaying on the monitor a gradual process of creating said caricature; a means for creating a stored version of the gradual process on the portable, machine-readable memory device; and a means for dispensing to the user the portable, machine-readable memory device.
Yet another preferred embodiment of the photography booth of the invention, for creating an output of a mock artist""s drawing or painting of a caricature, comprises: a computer with memory; means for storing a plurality of drawing textures; means fixing an image at the photobooth; means for assigning a first set of control points at predetermined locations on the fixed image; means for establishing a distance between the control points; means for altering the distance between at least two of the control points; means for defining a second set of control points which incorporates the altered distances; means for substituting one or more of the stored textures for different areas of the fixed image, in response to the second set of control points, to create an electronic mock artist""s drawing or painting of the caricature; and a hard copy output device and means for providing the electronic artist""s drawing or painting of the caricature to the output device, using the second set of control points, to create a hard copy of the caricature. The hard copy output device may be a computer printer, an engraver or an etcher.